Charlaine Harris
Fantasy
The Southern Vampire Mysteries: Dead Until Dark (2001), Living Dead in Dallas (2002), Club Dead (2003), Dead to the World (2004)
If I told you I'd been reading erotic, vampire mysteries, would you still respect me?
If the answer is "No," too bad. Since the Victorian part of my soul has to deal with it, you can too.
I read the first book because awhile ago I picked up Bite, a vampire anthology. I love anthologies, because I love short stories. And I love finding new authors, so even though a story might not be something I'd normally read, if it's in an anthology, I'll most likely read it (Unless it's obviously something I really don't want to read). I didn't read the first story, because from reviews I've read, the author doesn't write to my tastes, and I wanted to read something I'd enjoy. 
So I skipped to the second story, Charlaine Harris' "One Word Answer," which I quite enjoyed.
However, I do not recommend this route, because the short story occurs well into the series, and gives away some plot points of the earlier stories.
So, liking the story as much as I did, I picked up books two and three of her 'Southern Vampire' series used, and picked up the first book new.
It wasn't until I was about a quarter of the way into the first book that I realized that there were romantic bits to the book.
Rather graphic romantic bits.
However at this point I was really into the story, and the naughty bits were well done, so I told my inner prude to shut-up and continued reading.
And I'm glad I did because I really liked these books. They were lots of fun, AND well-written. Possible plot inconsistencies from book to book were mentioned and explained (which I really liked) and each book was complete in and of itself. Although a main thread continues from book to book, each book is a self-contained story.
Which was enough to make me do the good fantasy happy dance even without the good writing and story.
The series starts with Dead Until Dark where we meet Sookie Stackhouse, Southern barmaid and telepath who lives with her Grandmother, and where Sookie meets her first vampire, Bill Compton. (I the idea of vampires finally coming out of the closet, so to speak.) Sookie also has to deal with several murders, which is why the later books are classified as both fantasy and mystery.
I was going to write a bit about the other three books, but it's nearly impossible to do so without giving away parts of the other books. So, I'll pass, and if you really want plot points, you can read the back of the book or any number of Amazon reviews.
So why do I like these books so well? First, they're set in the South in a small town, and Charlaine Harris, in my opinion, gets both those parts right, from knowing everyone else's business to how everyone dresses. Second, especially in the later books, I absolutely love the fact that money matters to Sookie. She counts her pennies and worries about property taxes. That little bit of realism that strikes me as absolutely prefect, and really makes her real to me. In so many ways she's no one special, and what is special about her doesn't save her from the everyday problems we all have to deal with.
And she isn't perfect. She's bitchy at times, and has a brother who is far from perfect--and she knows he's far from perfect--but she loves him anyway. It makes her quite real, despite her unreal companions and situations.
So although I definitely won't be loaning the books to my grandmother, I heartily recommend them. Especially to people who aren't quite as embarrassed by reading about sex as I am.
Rating: 9/10
Dead As A Doornail (2005)
Dead As A Doornail is the fifth book in Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire series, and full of complications and murder and danger. Someone is killing the double-natured, and since Sookie's brother Jason was bitten, he's in the same danger as the rest.
I really liked several different things about this story. I found the mystery interesting--I like the way that she works the supernatural into the mystery. I did guess part of the mystery, although not the entire thing. But that just made the whole thing even better, since it's so satisfying to correctly guess the bad guy in a well-written mystery.
I also like how she continues to focus on how Sookie struggles to make ends meet. Things that are taken for granted in other mysteries are important here--things like hospital bills and health insurance and home owners insurance, and the little day to day issues of recovering from a tragedy. Those little details make the story far more real than stories that don't deal with the supernatural.
One thing that did bug me in this book, however, is that Sookie had way too many suitors. I was somewhat frustrated by the fact that supernatural creatures seemed almost unable to resist her charms. I realize that Charlaine Harris explains it to some degree, but still. (Of course it made the bit with Claude all the more amusing.) And I am very curious as to whom Sookie is going to end up settling down with. Part of me wants it to be Sam, since I really like Sam, but part of me thinks that she needs to end up with a vampire, since she always talks about how relaxed they make her feel, since she can't read their minds. So then I lean towards Eric, whom I also like. Though I suppose as long as it's not Bill or Alcide I'll be happy.
But that isn't a huge thing. And I really do love Charlaine Harris' storytelling. There are a lot of different characters, but they're all different and I don't have trouble keeping them straight. The dialog is sharp and witty, and the mystery is well done. In the face of all that, who am I to complain that Sookie has too many men falling for her?
Okay. One other thing bugged me. I wasn't quite sure why Lily Bard made a brief appearance. I got that Debbie Pelt's family wanted to know what had happened to her, but I found the fact that Lily and Jack were doing the investigating rather disorienting. They didn't seem to exist in the same world, so I was thrown when they showed up. Glad to see they were doing well, but thrown never the less.
If you're already reading about Sookie Stackhouse, then this is a book you don't want to miss. If you've never read a Sookie Stackhouse book, then you really should. However, you may want to start at an earlier book. Although you could read this book without knowing Sookie's back-story, I think it is easier to deal with all the different characters, if you know her past with them.
Rating: 8/10
Definitely Dead (2006)
First things first, this book had me laughing out loud, and reading passages to Michael. That usually only happens for Steven Brust books, but in multiple places Charlaine Harris nailed the dialog, and forced me to keep interrupting Michael game so he could laugh with me.
Additionally, for those of you who don't already know, I dislike hardback books. I find them uncomfortable to read, and they don't fit in my jacket pocket, so I can't take them anywhere. It is a measure of my respect for Charlaine Harris's writing that I bought this book in hardback, and within two weeks of publication. (Although I have to admit that if I hadn't bought the previous hardback on sale for $4.99, I would have been less inclined to get Definitely Dead in hardback.)
If you read the short story "One Word Answer" in the collection Bite, this book picks up the pieces left from that story: Sookie has to go to New Orleans to clear out her cousin Hadley's apartment, and ends up involved in the power play between the Queen of Louisiana and the King of Arkansas.
One thing I particularly liked is that Charlaine Harris resolved some of the issues I had with the last book. She reduced the number of Sookie's suitors, and explained why Sookie had so many supernatural suitors in the first place. I very much appreciated this, because it irked me that Sookie had every supernatural man she met swooning at her feet. I felt like the series was close to crossing the line from one sort of fantasy to another, different sort. Although Charlaine Harris didn't sweep the board clean of Sookie suitors, she did get the number down to something far more reasonable.
SPOILER
(rot 13)
V unir gb nqzvg gung V jnf tynq gb frr guvatf pbzr qbja zbfgyl gb Dhvaa naq Revp, naq V nz frpergyl ubcvat gung fur pubbfrf Revp. Nygubhtu Fnz vfa'g arprffnevyl bhg bs gur ehaavat, V guvax gung Fbbxvr unf tbggra urefrys gb gur cbvag gung gur arrqf gur cebgrpgvba bs fbzrbar yvxr Dhvaa be Revp; ab znggre ubj avpr Fnz vf, V qba'g guvax ur pna xrrc ure fnsr sebz nyy gur perrcvrf jub ner nsgre ure.
V jnf nyfb tynq gb frr Fbbxvr svanyyl qrny jvgu Qroovr Cryg'f snzvyl. Nygubhtu V qba'g arprffnevyl oryvrir gung gurl jbhyq unir gnxra guvatf nf pnyzyl nf gurl qvq (V rkcrpgrq gur cneragf gb ernpg zber yvxr gur fvfgre) V nz tynq gung Fbbxvr pna svanyyl chg Qroovr'f qrngu oruvaq ure. Qba'g trg zr jebat gubhtu, V jnf tynq gung Fbbxvr jnf abg noyr gb yvtugyl oehfu bss gnxvat nabgure yvsr. Ure ubeebe naq thvyg bire jung fur'q qbar ner cneg bs jung znxr ure fb uhzna naq yvxnoyr. Vg jbhyqa'g unir orra evtug vs fur'q orra noyr gb whfg oehfu bss gung qrngu, ohg fur qvq arrq erfbyhgvba, naq V jnf cyrnfrq gb frr fur svanyyl tbg vg.)
END SPOILER
The mysteries in this book were good, but seemed to take a back seat to resolving some of Sookie's romantic entanglements. Which was actually okay, because they really needed sorting out, and the two mysteries we got were pretty good.
If you have not read a Sookie Stackhouse book before, there is enough back story here to explain what's going on, however, it would probably be more satisfying to read if you have actually read the previous books. But if you're already reading the Sookie Stackhouse books, a lot happens in this story that you are not going to want to miss. Plus, it's a lot of fun.
Rating: 8/10
All Together Dead (2007)
It’s been awhile since I read a new Sookie Stackhouse story. They’re now published in hardback first, and as much as I enjoy her stories and her writing, I don’t much care for hardback books. I also wasn’t sure they were worth $25.
So I placed it on pre-order for the paperback, and eagerly read it as soon as it arrived.
Sookie agreed to attend the vampire summit as telepath to Louisiana Queen Sophie-Anne, and after multiple delays, the summit is now occurring while Louisiana has shifted from a position of strength to one of weakness following both the death of the Queen of Arkansas and the Katrina flooding. Now there may be a trial over the death of the King of Arkansas, while Sophie Anne remains in all but exile until the rebuilding of her New Orleans home.
Sookie has her own boarder in the form of Amelia the witch, another New Orleans refugee, only for reasons other than the flood. She also has to come to terms her relationship with Quinn, and where that relationship is going.
As with previous books, there is plenty of humor and mystery, as well as boinking. Sookie has her own view on life, but is also finally starting to realize how much her association with the vampires has changed both her and the way others in Bon Temps view her. I did appreciate that bit very much. Her friendships are becoming well-known, and as the Fellowship of the Sun takes hold, it is costing Sookie friendships.
I also liked the Sookie is now starting to deal with shades of gray much more than she has in previous books. She is finally realizing that those with whom she deals have pasts that are dark and bloody, and they also have allegiances that she cannot truly understand.
What I didn’t much care for is her continued whining and moaning over Bill, (good riddance) and her choice yet not a choice between Eric and Quinn. This is my least favorite part of these books, and although I appreciate that we were given a reason why vampires find her irresistible, I still think Charlaine Harris still goes too far in making Sookie all but everyone’s dream girl. That the one thing I particularly dislike about much supernatural fantasy, and although Sookie isn’t out of control, I do find it rather frustrating.
If you have not read any of the Sookie Stackhouse books, then I recommend going back to book one and starting the series there. Although you could in theory pick up any book in the series and start there, so much has happened in previous stories I think it might be a bit confusing to try and pick up in the middle.
Rating: 7/10
From Dead to Worse (2008)
For awhile there I was getting frustrated with Charlaine Harris while it seems as if Sookie was the most attractive and beguiling woman in the entire world and everyone wanted to boink her.
Whatever. I don’t care if she is part fairy, things were just getting a bit ridiculous.
But things seemed to have moved past that point, finally. She still is unsure where she stands in the world and who she loves, but she’s settled into her friendships and is extracting herself from relationships that are not healthy from her. Of course, being a friend of the Pack and close to the vampire sheriff of her area wins her as many enemies as it does admirers.
This books was rather interesting. It was actually several novellas combined into a single book rather than a single novel. Which was fine with me, because Charlaine Harris does novellas and short stories very well–in fact I almost tend to prefer her shorter works to her longer ones. So that was a bonus, however, there was some filler material scattered throughout the book, as Sookies day-to-day activities are described several times. It occasionally made for strange breaks in the story that possibly could have been edited out.
BUT.
Those are really minor flaws compared to my overall feeling about the book. We’re back to mysteries, and although Sookie is still confused about her love life, she’s coming to terms with herself and what’s best for her. (And I have to say that I’m a big Eric fan, since he’s one of the few who has always tended to see to her material needs when others have ignored or been blind to the financial difficulties their demands have placed upon her. [I always appreciated the fact that Eric had her driveway regraded. That sounds like something silly, unless you’ve every lived with a gravel driveway, then you realize that he was interested in making her day-to-day life easier, not just impressing her.)
I’m also glad to see more of her friendship with Sam. He’s a very interesting character, and we’ve never really gotten to see him for much more than Sookie’s boss, so it was a nice change to see him being her friend–and her the same.
So although this story did have some weaknesses, and I’m sure that some people might not like the fact it’s several stories in one, as a whole I enjoyed From Dead to Worse very much, and enjoyed the several mysteries that went throughout the book. And I particularly liked the final chapter. It was good to see Sookie doing something on her own and for someone else–but also for herself.
Rating: 7/10
Many Bloody Returns (2007)
edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner
I pre-ordered this, not realizing it was in hardback. As much as I love anthologies, I’m not that excited about hardback books–especially anthologies where I don’t know all the authors or the quality of the stories.
Many Bloody Returns pretty much tells you the focus of the stories: vampires and birthdays. In some cases it’s the vampire who is having a birthday, in other cases…not.
Luckily, I wasn’t too disappointed with my purchase. There were several stories by authors I like and charaters whose books I’m reading, namely, Charlaine Harris, PN Elrod, Jim Butcher, and Tanya Huff. Unsurprisingly, some those were also some of the stories I enjoyed most, as they built upon characters with which I am already familiar.
Of those, my two favorite stories were Jim Butcher’s “It’s My Birthday Too” and P.N. Elrod’s “Grave-Robbed”.
Jim Butcher wrote a very solid Harry Dresden story. Although there isn’t a lot of development of Harry’s character, what I did like was how this story added another dimension of Harry’s relationships with Molly (his apprentice) and Thomas (his half-brother). The continued building of those relationships was really the strong point of this story for me. One of the things that has annoyed me about Harry is his inability to turn to his friends for help, so I really liked seeing him working with others.
I also really enjoyed the P.N. Elrod story. Although I’ve found the Jack Flemming stories to have their ups and downs, I enjoy reading about Jack, and enjoy the time period in which his stories are written. Strangely, this was hardly a period piece in comparison to the other Jack Flemming stories. Instead, the focus is on the mystery/problem, and how Jack solves that mystery. And I quite liked Jack’s solution to the problem at hand.
Another story I particularly liked as Jeanne C. Stein’ story “The Witch and the Wicked”. Although I did guess part of where the story was going, I enjoyed Sophie’s musings and thoughts about her future, and her interactions with the vampires. But I mostly liked how the story went in a direction I was not at all expecting.
And I thought Elaine Viets’ story, “Vampire Hours” was wonderful. Although being in a vampire collection, it was pretty obvious who/what the people Katherine was watching were, it didn’t particularly distract from the story, since the focus was upon Katherine and her chase for eternal youth. The story felt a bit like First Wives Club crossed with a vampire tale. Fun and amusing, although I am not sure how I felt about the fact that Katherine was so focused upon her body and her beauty as her main assets.
But I have to admit that there were stories that I found disappointing. As much as I enjoy Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series, this story didn’t seem to add much, and in some ways Sookie felt to me as if she was acting slightly out of character. nothing I could put my finger on, but the story just felt a bit off to me.
I also didn’t care too much for Rachel Caine’s story “The First Day of the Rest of Your Life” because I felt like I was missing something–I was never quite certain what was happening or why, and why Eve really had no clue as to what she was going to do. Instead of interesting, I found her somewhat annoying. Which was somewhat surprising to me, since I enjoyed Rachel Caine’s first Weather Warden book.
Otherwise, this was a pretty good collection of stories. I probably would have preferred the book in paperback, but over all I enjoyed it.
Rating:7/10
Must Love Hellhounds (2009)
Charlaine Harris, Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Meljean Brook
I picked up this anthology solely because I saw Ilona Andrews had a story in it. Charlaine Harris also usually writes decent short stories, but not always. But I figured, I like everything I’ve read by Ilona Andrews, and there should be at least one other decent story in there, so it’s worth it.
The book opens with Charlaine Harris story, “The Britlingens Go to Hell.” First off, this is not a Sookie story, which I liked, because I think authors need to branch out if they’ve been writing a lot of a single characters. Unfortunately, the story felt a bit uneven to me. The world building was not as good as I expect for a story set in a work that is very much not our own. There were plenty of nice touches, but overall it felt like it needed a bit more polishing before being released into the wild.
Two mercenaries are hired to act as bodyguard for a man who needs to go to Hell. I particularly liked the mercenaries/bodyguards. They were rough and strong and no nonsense. And Hell had the potential to be an interesting place–once I made sense of it. I also liked the surprise characters who appeared halfway through the story. I thought that was a nice touch.
What can I say about the second story, “Angels’ Judgment”? By the second page of the first chapter (I found the prologue interesting) I felt like cheezy porno music should be playing in the background. The story was little but “OMG HE IS SO HAWT!” “OMG SHE IS SO HAWT!” “MUST BOINK!” and random bits of plot thrown in here and there as a break from the boinking. It was obvious from the second page that the characters would have sex. I just didn’t realize that the story would be like listening to the brain of a 16 year old male, with sex coming up every thirty seconds. What made it all the more frustrating was that there was almost no explanation of the relationship between vampires and angels, which made the story even less believable. OK, angels make vampires. Because why? Who knows! Probably so they can have sex if the rest of the story was anything to go by.
Third was Ilona Andrews’s story “Magic Mourns” set in the same world as her Kate Daniels books, but featuring Kate’s fellow knight Andrea, and the were Raphael. Kate is still recovering from her misadventures in the last book, so in the meantime Andrea is taking her calls, and ends up heading out when someone calls in to report a dog as big as a house chasing a were. There were a lot of things I really liked about this story. First, I liked that we got to learn more about two important but secondary characters in the series. Second, Ilona Andrews did a very good job with the world building–I think she did a better job in this novella actually than she did in the first Kate Daniels book. There’s not much detail about why things are the way they are, but there are succinct explanations of how things are.
The final story, “Blind Spot” by Miljean Brook, I liked, though not as well as “Magic Mourns.” Maggie has been sent by her boss to “rescue” Geoff Blake, who had been attempting to rescue his sister, but had instead been caught by the demon who had kidnapped his sister. The world building was good in this story, which is good because the characters and their abilities are complex. Although I have to admit that Sir Pup is my favorite of the lot of them. The story is interesting, as is the discovery of the different characters and their pasts. I looked up some of her other books, and their listed as paranormal romances, so although I enjoyed “Blind Spot” very much, I’m not sure about reading a romance series–with boinking. We’ll see.
Rating: 7/10
Mystery
Shakespeare's Counselor (2001)
My complaint about this book is that it was too engrossing. I laid down just to read a couple of chapters, and two hours later I found myself two-thirds of the way into the book, and not going to sleep early as I'd planned. Here I felt bad and wanted to get some extra rest, and I ended up going to be later than usual. And it's entirely Charlaine Harris' fault, since if she wasn't such a good write, I would have been able to put down the book and go to sleep.
Okay, I don't really mean that. I just wish I would have realized how good the story was going to be, and not started reading it on a week night.
I first came across Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse stories, which can be best classified as erotic vampire mysteries. I enjoyed those mysteries so much that I wanted to read a different series, to see if I liked it as much.
I found Shakespeare's Counselor used a snatched it up. I'm glad I did, because like the Sookie Stackhouse stories, this book is good and I quite enjoyed it. Although there are four books that come before this one, I didn't feel as if I was missing anything by not having read the previous four, which is quite important in a mystery series.
Charlaine Harris is very good at writing interesting, admirable, characters. I love the fact that Lily Bard worries about paying bills and pinches pennies and buys her clothes at Wal Mart and makes her living as a cleaning lady. It makes her seem far more real than some other female detectives I've read.
Be aware, one of the themes in this book is rape--the counselor of the title runs a rape recovery group therapy session, so I would not recommend it for a younger reader. But the subject is covered very honestly, and I don't think that it should scare off anyone else.
As much as I enjoyed this book, I fear, however, that I may have to take up her Aurora Teagarden series, as Shakespeare's Counselor seems to be the last Lily Bard mystery published, and that was back in 2001, and according to her website, she isn't planning on any more Lily Bard mysteries. But I find it hard to complain, if it means she's writing more about Sookie Stackhouse.
Rating: 8/10
Fantasy by Charlaine Harris:
The Southern Vampire Mysteries: Dead Until Dark (2001), Living Dead in Dallas (2002), Club Dead (2003), Dead to the World (2004), Dead As A Doornail (2005), Definitely Dead (2006), All Together Dead (2007), From Dead to Worse (2008)
Many Bloody Returns (2007), Must Love Hellhounds (2009)
Mystery by Charlaine Harris:
Shakespeare's Counselor (2001)
